With the increased demand for “cloud based” applications, the demand for very large server infrastructure capable of hosting distributed applications has increased. Networks capable of handling large-scale, multiple distributed applications on the same infrastructure are often termed “cloud computing networks” or simply “cloud networks.”
Current approaches to cloud computing networks generally involve the creation of large multi-stage fabrics using the same switch building block, typically a merchant market switch ASIC with sufficient radix to span the entire network with a reasonable number of tiers or stages.
One challenge in the conventional implementation of cloud networks involves deployment and scalability of the multitude of discrete switch boxes along with the wiring necessary to interconnect them. Adding new servers and aggregation switches can involve the time-consuming wiring and rewiring of different network components. Another challenge in the conventional implementation of cloud networks is the cost associated with acquisition and maintenance of the above-noted components and wiring.
The invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing in which an element first appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.